Lecture 30: The human microbiome Flashcards
microbiome means
the complete collection of microorganisms and their genes within a particular environment
microbiota means
individual microbial species in a biome - bacteria, fungi, archer and viruses
aim of the human microbiome project (HMP)
aim to characterise microbial communities found at multiple human body sites
emphasised bodily locations of the HMP
- oral
- skin
- vaginal
- gut
- nasal/lung
first goal of HMP
develop a reference set of microbial genome sequences
second goal of HMP
explore the relationship between disease and changes in human microbiome
third goal of HMP
develop new technologies and tools for computational analysis
fourth goal of HMP
establish a resource repository
fifth goal of HMP
study ethical, legal and social implications of microbiome research
strong niche specialisation both within and among individuals mean
different sites, means different microbes
diversity and abundance of each niche signature microbe
vary widely
HMP has documented 81-99% of
genera, enzyme families and community configurations
different sites of microbiomes in humans mean
different bacteria
human gut is also know as
gastrointestinal tract
digestive tract
human gut has the highest
density of microbes in the human body
differences in microbes in different locations reflects
different conditions in these locations
50% of fecal biomass is
bacteria
functional foods are
food claiming to have a health promoting function beyond supplying nutrients
probiotics are
live organisms
probiotics survive
transit through stomach and duodenum
prebiotics are
an ingredient that beneficially nourishes the good bacteria in bowl or colon
most probiotics are
oligosaccharides a type of carbohydrate
FECAL microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a highly successful treatment for
multiple recurrences of clostridium difficile infection (CDI)
